The Bible was written by real people, to real people, in real places, and who experienced real events. This website is dedicated to telling the story about these people and the places they lived, visited, and ministered in. It is the goal of this website to expound the Scriptures and bring to life the lands and the peoples of the Bible through the background material that bear on the events of these passages.

By Gordon Franz Introduction Jerusalem is a city that is sacred to the three monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has been and remains to this day, a contested piece of real estate for two of these religions. Former Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, often said, “Jerusalem is the eternal, undivided […]

by Gordon Franz Introduction During the last two decades of the First Century AD, Rome was in the grip of the self-deified Emperor Domitian. Imagine a small group of believers in the Lord Jesus walking pass the Coliseum in Rome and turning westward toward the Roman Forum and the Capitoline Hill. They observe at the […]

by Gordon Franz Introduction Jonah has been called the wayward prophet, or the fleeing prophet. I would suggest that he is a prophet with an attitude! God gave him a clear command to do something and he did the exact opposite. Yet after chastening him, God, in grace and mercy, gave him a second chance. […]